Unbreakable Ties
by Paige Hansen
Summary: Trip x Monkey - Rated T for language.


"Monkey!"

She ran as fast as she could through the dense forest, slipping through tight spaces between trees and tearing through the mossy overgrowth that seemed to devour everything in its path. The sun broke through the trees, speckling the ground, and giving her just enough light to see where she was going. The almost black canopy above her head kept the forest damp and dark, and she longed to find a way out into the open.

"Monkey, help me!"

As she continued to run, the thick trees became tangled brush that clawed at her arms and grabbed at her feet as she struggled to get through it. Her hair caught on a branch and she shrieked, pulling hard until it let go, and she was met by a twiggy hand that reached up and slapped her across the face. The entire right side of her face throbbed, and she could feel the warmth of fresh blood trickle down her cheek as she pulled herself free from the brush and into the open, finally breathing cool air. She squinted in the sunlight, and searched frantically for somewhere to go.

She screamed as she lost her footing, running from the sound of screeching metal and heavy steps pounding the ground behind her. Her knees hit hard on the moss covered concrete, the force tearing a hole in her pants to expose a bloody scrape, and she cursed under her breath as she tried to pull herself back to her feet. She had only started to gain some balance when she turned around to see a heavy metal claw reach out to grab her. She screamed for Monkey to help her, but for some reason he couldn't hear her. The mech took hold of her, and she screamed, releasing an EMP pulse, stunning her attacker.

The mech dropped her to the ground as it recoiled, and she turned and ran away from it, trying to find a place to hide. A crate not too far from her looked as close to promising as she could hope for, and she ran to it, lifting the lid with little struggle before closing herself inside.

She sat in the pitch-dark for what felt like hours, trying desperately to contact Monkey, but to no avail. The box reeked of dampness, and little insects crawled across her fingers as she felt around. The mech that had nearly killed her had long since broken free from the stun, and was now patrolling the area in search of her, ready to finish what it was programmed to do. Trip trembled every time it passed by her hiding place, and began to cry when a voice finally came through.

"_Trip?"_

"Monkey!" She brushed a tear from her cheek and winced at how loud she'd responded.

"_Trip, where the hell are ya?"_

"I-I'm in a container just outside the forest, on the south end," she whispered."There's a mech patrolling around me, I can't get out."

"_I'm on my way. Stay put, alright?"_

"Please hurry." She leaned her head back against the inside of the crate, and closed her eyes as she said a silent prayer.

The ground almost shook under his feet as he charged after her, but when the trees got too close together for his form to squeeze through, he took to the branches, climbing and swinging his way across greater distances than the ground allowed. Birds took off in panicked flight as he passed nests, and from behind, the chaos had awoken a pair of Electro mechs. The crackle of electricity as they came to, echoed through the trees behind Monkey like a gunshot.

"Ah, shit."

"_Monkey? What's going on?"_

"Nothin', I got this... Just stay quiet."

He came to the edge of the forest, and climbed to the highest sturdy branch he could find, trying to evaluate the situation he'd come to fix. It took little effort to spot the crate that Trip was hiding in, but the Combat mech below was easier to find. It was eagerly and carelessly scanning the open space in search of its current target, and its footsteps echoed high. The two that took chase several minutes before were beginning to close in on the clearing. Monkey glanced back to gauge the distance between himself and them, and made a break for the one ahead. He leaped from his perch, engaging his staff in mid air, and came down directly in the path of the mech. In the time it took the mech to register the new target, Monkey had managed to regain his balance and spot a weakness in the robot that he couldn't see earlier.

He swung his staff at the enraged machine, cracking it hard against the head. The force of impact made the staff bounce back, and the mech's steel fist collided hard with Monkey's stomach, sending him skidding across the ground. He only growled when he rose to his feet, and charged back. Jumping up into the air, he lunged in the mech's direction, connecting a gloved fist to the head, and knocking the robot back. This gave Monkey time to get behind his enemy, and he immediately grabbed hold of a saw-like arm, kicking it out of its socket before spinning the mech around, and jamming the heavy blade directly into its center.

As he did this, the two Electro mechs had spotted him, and ran toward him, both ready to fire a stun once they got close enough. Monkey watched as they both charged up their blasts, and just as they were ready to discharge, he gave the Combat mech a violent push in their direction. He watched as it self destructed, taking the other two with it, and took a moment to catch his breath before running to Trip.

Sunlight burst through the opening of the rusted crate as the lid flew open. Trip squinted as the light hit her eyes, and reached out for Monkey's outstretched hand. He grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her from the container, and looked at her with dark eyes. His jaw was clenched tight, and she immediately knew that he was upset with her. She assessed the damage to her knee, making every effort to avoid eye contact as he paced angrily in front of her, and jumped when he spoke.

"How many times, Trip?"

"Monkey, I-"

"What, you got some kinda death wish or somethin'?" He stopped and looked at her, shaking his head in disappointment. "Every time I turn my back, you're running off to God knows where, and I gotta run after you like a bat outta hell, just to make sure you don't wind up dead."

Trip didn't know what to say. She'd never seen him this angry before, and it scared her. An extra crease formed when he furrowed his brow, his eyes a darker shade of blue when he glared at her. His body language was frighteningly aggressive, making Trip want to burst into tears.

"Monkey..." she squeaked. Her eyes fell to her feet when he made eye contact with her, and she fiddled with the beaded cord around her neck. She heard his pacing cease, and held her breath as she chanced looking up at him."I'm sorry."

"Let's just get outta here," Monkey snarled. He turned away from her and headed for his bike that sat waiting back on the road they had come in on. When he mounted the bike and started the engine, he looked back to see that Trip hadn't moved from where he left her. Instead, she seemed to be in a daze, looking out into a world that he couldn't see. "Trip."

"Coming." She took a deep breath through her nose, inhaling the scents of the trees and oil stained sand one last time before she left. As she approached Monkey, she looked up to see him staring straight ahead, refusing to look at her. She sighed as she threw her leg over the seat, and plopped herself down carelessly, feeling him shift in response. She rested her hands on his waist, keeping a distance between them, but he pulled her forward, closing the space and wrapping her arms around him.

Trip rested against Monkey's back for a good half hour before finally pulling herself away to admire the sun setting in the west. The desert bluffs were silhouetted beautifully against the orange sky, and the sun cast a golden light making the rocky edges glow. Had she not been so afraid to speak to him, she would have likely asked if they could stop, even for a minute, just to admire the scenery.

By the time she had found any nerve to speak, Monkey had pulled off down a dirt road and was pulling up to the spot they'd be staying for the night. Monkey dismounted, and in silence, moved to the back of the bike, opening a storage compartment and pulling from it a bag of supplies the two had gathered over the past few days. He walked away, dropping the bag near a dead stump before crouching to light a small fire.

Trip dragged herself from the seat of the motorcycle and stepped quietly toward her companion. She sat on the dirt keeping a distance no less than an arm's length between them, and stared into the flames as they crackled and rose up, warming her face. She let out a labored sigh as she glanced over to see Monkey prodding a piece of wood with a stick, and looked away before she caught his eye.

"Monkey, I'm really sorry."

"We've established that," he answered bitterly. His attention never left the fire, and the lack of eye contact was beginning to make Trip angry.

"Why are you so mad?" She demanded. She glanced back and forth from Monkey to the fire, and froze when she looked up to see the expression on his face. He was looking at her the same way he'd always looked at Pigsy, and she responded with a huff.

"Why am I mad?" He let out an exasperated laugh, and shook his head at her. He quickly turned where he sat, planted a hand firmly on the ground, and leaned forward. "I'm mad, because you're gonna get us both killed! I'm mad, because it's already been one too many close calls! I'm mad, Trip... because one of these days, I'm not gonna make it to you in time. You're gonna be just a little too far outta my reach, and..."

He had to bite his lip to stop himself when he realized that there was a lump forming in his throat. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, but something that he'd forgotten he could feel. His eyes stung as the air hit his face, his chest tightened as he breathed, and he stood up, taking a step away from her. It was the first time that Trip had ever seen tears in his eyes. She pulled herself to her feet as fast as she could and stepped to Monkey, but he raised a hand in protest, waving her away before turning his back to her and retreating from the fire.

Trip wanted to run after him, but she couldn't find the point in trying. Chances were, he would have yelled at her some more, and she was already shaky enough. Despite the amount of time they had been spending together, his temper always made her nervous. She knew well enough at this point that he'd never do anything to hurt her, but he was still getting used to handling social situations, even with Trip, and his words tended to be daggers when he lost his cool. She decided to give him the rest of the night alone to collect his thoughts, and curled up next to the campfire to get some sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, the fire was nothing more than a pile of dark ash, and the sun was already starting to peak out above the mountain scored horizon. She rubbed her dry eyes as she sat up to stretch, and looked around the campsite to see Monkey already packing the bike to leave.

"Someone's in a hurry," she mumbled. She slapped a hand over her mouth when it donned on her that he could hear her, and without the slightest doubt, was listening. She waited for some kind of retort, but heard nothing. She wasn't sure what to think about the silence that came back to her, but didn't say anything else. She patiently watched and waited for him to finish what he was doing, but when he turned around and began walking back to the site, her heart beat furiously.

"Good morning to you, too," Monkey said, taking a seat next to her. He sat with his legs crossed under him, and his hands folded together in his lap. His eyes were distant as he stared at the burnt ground in front of him, but they held their usual brightness, which Trip took as a sign that he was in a better mood. "If we leave within the next hour, we'll get there by early afternoon."

"Okay." Trip nodded, and rose her feet.

"Trip." Monkey ran his hands through his hair, and looked up at her. He was met by a pair of sad eyes and immediately wanted to pretend he hadn't said anything. He sighed and motioned for her to sit down. "I'm... sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did, doesn't matter how mad I was."

"It's okay."

"Nah, it's not," he said. His lips curled into a subtle grin as he raised his eyebrows. "Even though I'm right, and I'm starting to wonder why I told you to turn this damn thing back on."

"Why _did_ you tell me to turn it back on?"

"What, it wasn't obvious?"

Monkey stood and offered his hand to help her off the ground. When they were both on their feet, he led the way back to the bike. The second Trip's hands were tight around him, he tore away from the camp and back to the road.


End file.
